hey guys. i have the check engine light on my car and it needs to be inspected for emissions. the code is p0446, it is the charcoal canister. a new one is damn expensive, and a used one is a cheaper alternative. What do you guys think? Also, can i pass emissions with a bad charcoal canister?

Mr Jokster

09-05-10 08:39 PM

Well for how much its gonna cost, its a gamble as for how long its gonna work.

What you need to do is remove the solenoid off of yours and clean it off cause most of the time it just gets stuck in the open or closed position and doesnt do its job. However if its the actual canister thats leaking, then well gonna need another one. But any honest mechanic thats not looking for a quick buck will tell ya that there are easier and/or cheaper fixes to a problem like this one.

BTW, I've needed one for about a year now and havent changed it yet :p The one clue that will tell you whether or not its the solenoid is that your check engine light will be on for a few days, then will turn off on its own and will maybe stay off for a week or so, then return so on and so on. That pretty much proves a faulty solenoid :)

TLcoats

09-05-10 08:54 PM

May NOT be the charcoal canister! I had the same code that kept popping up after having it cleared several times. Check all your vacuum hoses mine turned out to be disconnected and broken were theres the little green tab on the driver side of the engine cover. Goodluck! :thumbup:

Mr Jokster

09-05-10 09:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TLcoats
(Post 5766943)

May NOT be the charcoal canister! I had the same code that kept popping up after having it cleared several times. Check all your vacuum hoses mine turned out to be disconnected and broken were theres the little green tab on the driver side of the engine cover. Goodluck! :thumbup:

Why did you keep clearing the code and not fix it? :uh:

TLcoats

09-05-10 09:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mr Jokster
(Post 5766964)

Why did you keep clearing the code and not fix it? :uh:

My mechanic(Buddy), took a look at the car and determined it was nothing that needed imediate attention. So he gave me code scanner and told me to bring the car back to the shop the following monday when things werent so busy. Turned out to be a broken vaccum hose. Easy 39 Cent fix.

porn-adkt

09-05-10 10:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MU521
(Post 5766778)

hey guys. i have the check engine light on my car and it needs to be inspected for emissions. the code is p0446, it is the charcoal canister. a new one is damn expensive, and a used one is a cheaper alternative. What do you guys think? Also, can i pass emissions with a bad charcoal canister?

...............

Mr Jokster

09-05-10 10:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by porn-adkt
(Post 5767067)

How do you know is the charcoal canister.

As jokster mentioned change your VSV, and be done.

run a 'smoke' test. They hook up a machine and run smoke through the whole system and where ever it comes out is where the leak will be. In my case it was coming out of the release valve (or whatever its called) in the back and not the canister itself. I think its a $60 test and takes about 20-30 mins I think.

If its coming out of the canister itself, well you know its cracked or whatever the case may be. I wonder if theres a ghetto way to seal a cracked canister :p Its plastic right? maybe melt some plastic over the crack :p epoxy ftw

porn-adkt

09-05-10 11:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mr Jokster
(Post 5767117)

run a 'smoke' test. They hook up a machine and run smoke through the whole system and where ever it comes out is where the leak will be. In my case it was coming out of the release valve (or whatever its called) in the back and not the canister itself. I think its a $60 test and takes about 20-30 mins I think.

If its coming out of the canister itself, well you know its cracked or whatever the case may be. I wonder if theres a ghetto way to seal a cracked canister :p Its plastic right? maybe melt some plastic over the crack :p epoxy ftw

...................

porn-adkt

09-05-10 11:39 PM

.................................

4play4dr

09-06-10 12:21 AM

man..ive had the same code for quite some time now..and its never turned on n off..jus stays on..a mechanic showed me a smoke test and it appears mine is leaking from the back..at or around the charcoal canister..he told me it was my canister and those things are expensive..where is the VSV located? i might jus try that first

MU521

09-06-10 12:48 AM

you guys are cool. the forum really helps. well im not entirely sure if it is the canister to be honest. me and my dad looked for loose vaacuums in the engine but couldnt really find any, so we are assuming its the canister. What a rip off huh?? this is a monopoly. 697 for a part that isnt even nesseacry?

MU521

09-06-10 12:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mr Jokster
(Post 5766916)

Well for how much its gonna cost, its a gamble as for how long its gonna work.

What you need to do is remove the solenoid off of yours and clean it off cause most of the time it just gets stuck in the open or closed position and doesnt do its job. However if its the actual canister thats leaking, then well gonna need another one. But any honest mechanic thats not looking for a quick buck will tell ya that there are easier and/or cheaper fixes to a problem like this one.

BTW, I've needed one for about a year now and havent changed it yet :p The one clue that will tell you whether or not its the solenoid is that your check engine light will be on for a few days, then will turn off on its own and will maybe stay off for a week or so, then return so on and so on. That pretty much proves a faulty solenoid :)

would you happen to know how to remove this selenoid? im not to mechanically savy, and i want to know if i can do it myself

MU521

09-06-10 01:12 AM

what is a vsv? part number?

Mr Jokster

09-06-10 03:29 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MU521
(Post 5767394)

what is a vsv? part number?

x's 2. I was under the impression that it wasnt available other than in the whole assembly. Ive also searched on Sewell parts area plenty of times for the canister with no luck :sad:

I see the numbers: 911-602 984 so i'm about to do some searching :)

gtmax

09-06-10 09:00 AM

I had the same problem/code coming up. Ended up, regretfully, going to the dealer. Canister was 700bucks plus another two hundred or so in labor. Light came on the next day, took it back, they said it was a loose hose. Light hasn't come back on since.

Other thing is dealer told me i had a pretty bad powersteering fluid leak and the estimate for that was...700bucks. I told them to **** themselves and took the car to my mechanic to get it checked. He found no leak from there.